NBA Trade Deadline Portfolio 2019: New York Knicks
The Knicks aren’t very interesting on the court this season, but they could be intriguing ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.
The injury absence of Kristaps Porzingis has sentenced the Knicks to an ugly start to their 2018-19 season. That doesn’t mean this team is going to stand pat ahead of the trade deadline. Instead, expect the Knicks to consider making a number of deals that can improve the franchise’s future.
Obviously, there isn’t a deal out there that can catapult David Fizdale’s squad into playoff contention this year. That won’t be the front office’s mission. Instead, they will be looking to shed payroll. Right or wrong, the Knicks believe they can be major players in free agency if they have significant cap space.
At the moment, the team has just under $61 million committed to eight players for the 2019-20 season. That doesn’t mean they’ll head into the summer with nearly $60 million in cap space. Both Kristaps Porzingis and Emmanuel Mudiay will be hitting restricted free agency. At the very least, expect the Knicks to hand a near max contract to their Latvian star. Ideally, the franchise would also like to bring Mudiay back if the price is right, but his return isn’t an absolute necessity.
In a perfect world, the Knicks would like to hit the open market with the ability to bring in two max players to go along with Porzingis. That’ going to require the team to shed some significant payroll ahead of the deadline. The challenge is that New York would like to do that without parting with any future assets. Giving away future draft picks isn’t something the team wants to keep doing. That’s going to complicate matters for the front office in the short-term.
There are, however, a few players on the roster that might attract significant interest around the NBA if they come available. Mitchell Robinson and Allonzo Trier are two rookies that have flashed significant promise this season. Kevin Knox has even more fans, but it’s safe to assume the Knicks aren’t going to deal him unless they receive a king’s ransom in return.
The team also has several high-priced veterans they’d like to get rid of. Moving Tim Hardaway Jr. should be the Knicks’ best-case scenario. The challenge is that the inefficient wing still has over $37 million in guaranteed money coming his way after this season. No team is going to be in a hurry to take on that bad contract. The only way the Knicks will succeed in moving Hardaway is if they’re willing to attach an attractive young player to go with him. That means that Robinson, Trier, or perhaps Frank Ntilikina will have to be sent out as a sweetener. That’s the hefty price of getting rid of a big free agency mistake.
If Hardaway’s contract is too big to be moved, the Knicks may have to settle for dealing Courtney Lee or Lance Thomas. Both guys have contracts that expire after just one more season. Lee’s injury issues this season may cause other teams to consider his deal to be almost entirely dead money. Thomas and his contract will almost certainly be thought of in the same fashion. Both players earn significantly less than Hardaway, but at least he’s still a quality rotation player. Dealing any of the three will be a challenge for the Knicks.
The other potential alternative for the Knicks is to go in the other direction. They could maintain enough cap space for one max slot, but still look to trade some of their expiring contracts. The idea would be to acquire a player capable of helping them in the future who might be owed money in future years. Enes Kanter and his $18 million plus salary is the biggest card the Knicks have to play. Taking on equal salary of Kanter’s in future years would cut into New York’s future flexibility, but it might prove worth it if they can find a team willing to give back a quality player in exchange for the salary relief.
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In the end, the Knicks will likely prioritize preserving cap space for the summer over everything else. They will work hard to find takers for Hardaway or Lee, but they’re not going to mortgage their future to do it. The best path forward for this team is almost certainly to stay put. It remains to be seen whether or not the franchise’s decision-makers can resist the temptation to go for the quick fix.